Why is it important we know we are loved?

As an extension to my last post, If I had a magic wand and could impart any spiritual gift, what would it be?, I want to share why it is so important to know we are loved.  I believe it is important to know we are loved so we can be effective in bringing His Kingdom here on earth as it is in heaven.  I have seen (and experienced) as a Christian many days, weeks, hours, months, years, decades trying to get "right with God."  At times, there has been an overwhelming fear that salvation would soon be lost if and when I made the "wrong decision," had the wrong theology on a specific mater, etc.  Instead of resting comfortably on His lap with child-like faith and asking, "What's on your heart, Lord?" I was walking around feeling guilty, ashamed and wondering what I had to do to make "penance" for my latest sin.  While I know we may now scoff at the religious tradition of buying penance for sins, I can see why people would do it and I believe that for some this physical act would relieve the guilt.  I guess what I'm saying is that even today people walk around feeling guilt-ridden and having no seemingly way to get rid of the guilt.   But I really believe that this obsession with guilt is a misunderstanding of Jesus and His and the Father's heart towards us.

Colossians 2:11-14 (NCV)

 It was through Christ’s circumcision, that is, his death, that you were made free from the power of your sinful self. ¹² When you were baptized, you were buried with Christ, and you were raised up with him through your faith in God’s power that was shown when he raised Christ from the dead. ¹³ When you were spiritually dead because of your sins and because you were not free from the power of your sinful self, God made you alive with Christ, and he forgave all our sins. ¹⁴ He canceled the debt, which listed all the rules we failed to follow. He took away that record with its rules and nailed it to the cross. 

Do you see what the cross did for us? It forgave ALL our sins, it canceled the debt - it has been nailed to the cross, left behind.  But perhaps we metaphorically run back to the cross, tear that piece of paper off and hold it before God saying, "But what about this one?"  However, it doesn't say that the record was resurrected with Jesus. Perhaps the nails on His hands should serve as our reminder that the record was left behind so we can move on.

Hebrews 1 & 2 work through these struggles with us.  We see that the Israelite people were never able to enter God's rest and we are warned that we too do not want to be caught missing out on His rest.  While that passage has made me uncomfortable, as I've struggled with it, I've come to realize that they never wanted to accept God's grace, which is why they were unable to enter His rest.  And as I've seen in my own life and the lives of others, when we are trying to  live for the law, from the law and/or in light of the law, we continue to miss out on the promised rest.

Hebrews 2:14-17 (NCV)

¹⁴ Since these children are people with physical bodies, Jesus himself became like them. He did this so that, by dying, he could destroy the one who has the power of death—the devil— ¹⁵ and free those who were like slaves all their lives because of their fear of death. ¹⁶ Clearly, it is not angels that Jesus helps, but the people who are from Abraham.^{[b] 17} For this reason Jesus had to be made like his brothers and sisters in every way so he could be their merciful and faithful high priest in service to God. Then Jesus could die in their place to take away their sins. ¹⁸ And now he can help those who are tempted, because he himself suffered and was tempted.

Understanding that we can confidently come before God's throne of grace in our times of weakness is key, key, key.  So this is just the background information that lays the groundwork for the question, "So what then?"

His Kingdom come, His will be done

(If you really want to work through these concepts with an expert check out Surprised by Hope by N.T. Wright) 

I was struck the other day by Jesus words considering the kingdom:

Luke 17:20-21

Some of the Pharisees asked Jesus, “When will the kingdom of God come?”

Jesus answered, “God’s kingdom is coming, but not in a way that you will be able to see with your eyes. ²¹ People will not say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or, ‘There it is!’ because God’s kingdom is within you.”

We are the carriers of His kingdom!  Our world and our churches ask, seek and looking and searching for God's kingdom daily and I think they main reason they are missing seeing it is because they are looking in the wrong places.

Deuteronomy 30:11-14 

¹¹ This command I give you today is not too hard for you; it is not beyond what you can do. ¹² It is not up in heaven. You do not have to ask, “Who will go up to heaven and get it for us so we can obey it and keep it?” ¹³ It is not on the other side of the sea. You do not have to ask, “Who will go across the sea and get it? Who will tell it to us so we can keep it?” ¹⁴ No, the word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it.

NT Wright says in his book, Surprised by Hope:

The method of the kingdom will match the message of the kingdom.  The kingdom will comes as the church, energized by the Spirit, goes out into the world vulnerable, suffering, praising, praying, misunderstood, misjudged, vindicated, celebrating: always - as Paul puts it in one of his letters - bearing in the body the dying of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be displayed.

We need to be captured by God's heart and understand His heart if we want to be reflections of it in the world today:

Psalm 146: 6-9

Who gives justice to those that suffer wrong 

and bread to those who hunger.

The Lord looses those that are bound;

the Lord opens the eyes of the blind;

The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; 

the Lord loves the righteous;

The Lord watches over the stranger in the land;

he upholds the orphan and widow;

but the way of the wicked he turns upside down.

These are the values we are called to carry.  This is the heart we have the honor and privilege to represent.  His Kingdom is here today, it is within you and you can easily spread and extend it by simple acts of love to anyone who walks in your path today - whether family, friend or foe.  Be confident in His love, beloved.

In Christ,

Learning to Live with Myself Part 1: Roles

Four years ago, I attend a Women of Faith conference and saw a skit about the many hats that moms wear.  While this isn't the same exact sketch, it contains many of the same undertones:

Like the video above, I currently wear many hats and as a result I often feel I live a fragmented and contradictory life.  Sometimes, the hats that I wear stand in direct opposition to one another.  The part of the video that resonated with me the most was the transition from the wicked witch to the nun. Oh, that is the way that I feel sometimes.

I have been struggling to find a way to make all my hats fit on my head in a way that they do not interfere with one another.  But often times, by the end of the day, trying to do this leaves me defeated and confused.  Some of my roles I can really excel at while on the same exact day in the other roles I am a complete flop.  I haven't found a way to make these inconsistencies within my own self mesh together; to be 10 different things to 10 different people and in the end make everyone happy, including myself.  However, God's gentle Spirit has been undermining my goal of making all my hats fit and to find the ability to smoothly transition from one to the other.  Instead, He has challenged me to stop and start over from a whole different perspective.

I am currently reading through the book Living with Contradiction by Esther de Waal.  I am in the midst of working through the chapter, Learning to Live with Myself and it is really ministering to my heart.  For the next 3 posts, I want to look more closely at what I've been learning from Him as I work through these ideas.  I pray that the things that I am learning will also minister to your heart.

In Christ,



Image: Sunlight in Antarctica. Photograph. Encyclopædia Britannica ImageQuest. Web. 20 Mar 2015. 
http://quest.eb.com/search/119_1781894/1/119_1781894/cite

With New Eyes

The Sermon on the Mount has been in the forefront of my mind the last several weeks, and I have been loving it.  I'll admit that there was a time in my life, when coming to that entire section filled me with dread, fear and condemnation.  But it no longer does that, instead it fills me with excitement and a desire to say, "Yes and Amen" to God's Kingdom, what He is doing in it and how He has invited us to participate.  Some of the leading influences in this excitement and changed perspective has come from NT Wright's 40 days of Lent, Todd Hunter's sermon Beatitudes (Feb 2, 2014), The Message's version of the sermon on the Mount and my own reflections on my life via the Holy Spirit.

The following post will be snippets from Matthew 5 with my own reflections interjected in-between.  I hope you enjoy:

I must start with the end, before I get to the beginning, because the end frames it up so well:

48 Live out your God-created identity. 

Live generously and graciously toward others,

 the way God lives toward you.

This is what Jesus is inviting us to throughout the Sermon on the Mount, in fact throughout His whole life as He proclaims, "God's Kingdom come on earth."

I got to get away this past weekend for a Women's Retreat with my church.  During the silent retreat time, I was overwhelmed by God's faithfulness to me and to my life.  I was filled with utter joy.  The past 10 years of my life have been filled with many hard, hopeless, tear-filled days.  There were times where I did not want to get out of bed because the pain in my heart was so deep.  But as I reflected on these times and the things that I have learned through it - I have realized that I have emerged with a deep trust in God's heart and His love for me and those who surround me.  This conviction has partially come from living out the truths found in the Sermon on the Mount.  I have realized that the very words of Jesus are true and living and do produce the life-giving Kingdom that He has promised.

Here are a few of the snippets that jumped out at me as I read through Matthew 5 this morning:

vs 5  “You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are

—no more, no less. 

That’s the moment you find yourselves 

proud owners of everything that can’t be bought.

Learning to be content in my own skin, with who God has created me has been one of the treasured lessons I have received out of this journey.

vs 6-9

6 “You’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God. 

He’s food and drink in the best meal you’ll ever eat.

7 “You’re blessed when you care. 

At the moment of being ‘care-full,’ 

you find yourselves cared for.

8 “You’re blessed when you get your inside world

—your mind and heart—

put right. 

Then you can see God in the outside world.

9 “You’re blessed when you can show people 

how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. 

That’s when you discover who you really are, 

and your place in God’s family.

This joy and love for God and His kingdom is being awakened during the season of Lent. Celebrating Lent is a fairly new concept for my faith-walk but it has been a beautiful experience.  As my pastor said during our Ash Wednesday service - Lent is not about beating yourself up and punishing yourself to try and get yourself to be acceptable before God.  Rather it is placing your sin at His feet and listening for His words of truth over you.  So as I've entered into this season - I have stopped to listen with new eyes and fresh ears to what God has to say, instead of my preconceived notions of what I think He should say.  The difference is beautiful.

Let me tell you why you are here. 

You’re here to be salt-seasoning that 

brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? 

14-16 “Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. 

 If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? 

I’m putting you on a light stand.

 Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! 

For me, Lent is a season to reflect on these truth of being salt and light and remembering that I get to shine.  The spaces where godliness has diminished I get to bring before Him and let Him fix, heal and teach me.  For He says,

“Don’t suppose for a minute that I have come to demolish the Scriptures—either God’s Law or the Prophets. 

I’m not here to demolish but to complete. 

I am going to put it all together, pull it all together in a vast panorama.

God’s Law is more real and lasting than the stars in the sky and the ground at your feet. 

Long after stars burn out and earth wears out, God’s Law will be alive and working.

God's way seems backwards and sometimes it is hard.  And that's where this trust and understanding of what He is up to makes all the difference in the world:

You’re familiar with the command to the ancients, 

‘Do not murder.’ 

I’m telling you that anyone who is so much as angry with a brother or sister is guilty of murder. 

Carelessly call a brother ‘idiot!’ and you just might find yourself hauled into court. 

Thoughtlessly yell ‘stupid!’ at a sister and you are on the brink of hellfire.

The simple moral fact is that words kill.

This is not about the tit-and-tat of the law.  Rather it is about understanding the power we have as image-bearers of God.  The power of our words and of our hearts.  Self-indulgence in what feels good for the moment can have long-lasting negative effects on those we love (and do not love).  How then can we love?

“You’re familiar with the old written law, 

‘Love your friend,’ 

and its unwritten companion, 

‘Hate your enemy.’ 

I’m challenging that. 

I’m telling you to love your enemies. 

Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. 

When someone gives you a hard time,

respond with the energies of prayer, 

for then you are working out of your true selves, 

your God-created selves. 

This is what God does. 

He gives his best

—the sun to warm and the rain to nourish—

to everyone, regardless: 

the good and bad, 

the nice and nasty. 

So we have come full circle.  Back to where we started:

Live out your God-created identity. 

Live generously and graciously toward others, 

the way God lives toward you.

My conclusion is that coming to know how God feels about me has enabled me to walk this out in my own life and as a result I am enjoying the fruits of this kind of living.  Even in the midst of the difficulties, the unknown, the darkness and the questions - clinging to God's way, loving the way that He loves - it is worth it.

In Christ,




All Scripture has come from BibleGateway's website.

The Intimacy of Grace

Below is a post I wrote awhile ago, but I needed to read it again the other day. so I thought I would share it again.  Enjoy!

This post is dedicated to my former pastor Shane Holden, who plucked his one string guitar, "God loves you, even in your weakness."  Hearing that message over and over again and continuing to carry it in my heart continues to peel off layers of blindness.

I was reading through the story of David and Bathsheba the other day.  This is a well known story, that we've all heard millions of times.  Well, I got to the last verse of this story and a verse, that I never recall hearing before, practically jumped out at me:

2 Samuel 12:25

The Lord loved him, and sent a message by the prophet Nathan; so he named him Jedidiah, because of the Lord.

As I read this, I literally stopped and looked up and then down again to make sure the verse was still there and that reading it was not my imagination.  This verse is talking about Solomon, whom we know is named - Solomon - not Jedidiah.  But here you have the Lord himself sending a message saying for him to be named- Jedidiah.  You kind of think if God said, "Name him this," you would name him that! Knowing that names are significant in the Bible I couldn't wait to find out what it meant and to discover what was happening in the background.

So curiosity got the best of me, and I was led on a wonderfully, exciting journey of discovery.  At the first opportunity I had, I found out that Jedidiah means, "my beloved."  This meaning totally captured my heart.  I then quickly did a search of commentaries to see if anyone else was blown away by it and if they could shed some light on why Solomon is called Solomon and not Jedidiah.  After reading through 7 commentaries, I got a few hints as to what was going on but I still felt like the magnitude of this verse was overlooked.

First, I found out that in 1 Chronicles 22:9 it says,

But you will have a son who will be a man of peace and rest, and I will give him rest from all his enemies on every side. His name will be Solomon, and I will grant Israel peace and quiet during his reign.

So the name, Solomon was also a name that God had given him, thus he is called Solomon not Jedidiah.  Secondly, I found out that Solomon is a fore-running picture of Christ.  Thus, the name Solomon is a picture of Jesus who is our Prince of Peace.  But another commentary brought to light how the name, Jedidiah, was also a prophetic picture of Christ fulfilled in Luke 9:35:

And there came a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him.

Finally, a commentary mentioned that perhaps this was a name that Nathan or Bathsheba called him.  When I stepped back from all of it and combined everything together, it all began to dawn on me, Jedidiah was a nickname, a name of intimacy, a name of grace.

Considering that, I was even more blown away by it all; I had to rewind with this in mind and look back at the full story that ends with this verse (you can read it all in 2 Samuel 12).  We have David, a man after God's own heart, fall into sin  that makes The Desperate Housewives look not so desperate.  David sleeps with another man's wife, gets her pregnant, tries to have the husband sleep with her but he won't, then has the man killed.  As you read this, you see opportunity, after opportunity for David to admit what is going on, but he plows on and God allows him to plow forward.  After all this is done, then the Lord comes and speaks to David:

I gave you your master’s house, and your master’s wives into your bosom, and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would have added as much more. Why have you despised the word of the Lord, to do what is evil in his sight?

You can hear the cry of God in this, as to the why; why did you mistrust My heart and not know that I am generous towards you?  These decisions by David lead to consequences that end up hurting the rest of his kingship and his family line.  In addition, the baby conceived in this mess ends up dying.

Somewhere in this timeline, David ends up writing Psalm 51 which we all know well: "Create in me a clean heart, Oh God, take not thy Holy presence from me..."

The story doesn't end with fear or an unknown answer but it ends, with a gift from God, the gift of Solomon.  A man of peace, a picture of Christ and a daily promise and reminder from God to David and Bathsheba of God's intimate, redeeming love.  You see, I do believe Solomon was called Jedidiah - my beloved - but it was not by "the people" but it was by his family.  Whenever they would say, "Jedidiah" they were reminded that God's answer to David's prayer is - "my beloved."

You see He is a redeeming God, a forgiving God, it is not based upon merit, or upon our actions it is all rooted in His LOVE.  The summary of this chapter is, "The mess you are in, this is not what I intended, this is not what I had planned for you... yet even after all of that I will step in, I will redeem and it will be through my Beloved."

This verse did one more thing for me though.  Over the years, I've heard people say, "We are God's beloved."  While I obviously knew that God loved me, I had been unwilling to take the intimacy of that name, "My beloved" and apply it to myself, as an individual.  You see I had heard that like John, who defines himself as the disciple whom Jesus loved (John 21:20) we too could define ourselves that way.  I also heard others say, that the message Jesus heard as He arose from baptism is the same message that God speaks over our lives, but yet somehow, some way that was not enough for me.

However, after reading 2 Samuel 12:25 it dislodged me and I'm full into being His beloved.  The fact that God himself, tapped Nathan on the shoulder and said, "Let them know, he is my BELOVED," astounded me.  After all the mess, after all the hurt the note that God wraps it all in is, "he is my beloved," and He gives a name, a nickname that is meant to be a daily reminder of His love to not only Solomon but to His whole family that they are loved.

In Christ,

Worrying

Life has been stressful the last couple of months.  My husband has had some health issues that we have yet to find the root cause.  The next two weeks are full of busyness and as they've come closer I have found myself filled with dread.  One of my friend's texted me the other day to check in on me and I was going to text her back that "I just want to close my eyes and fast-forward through the next two weeks."  But as I went to write it, I felt a little check in my spirit and I was reminded of what the Lord has been teaching me over the last few weeks.

For the last month, my daily prayer time included the following verses:

Remember my affliction and my bitterness, •

the wormwood and the gall!

But this I call to mind, •

and therefore I have hope:

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, •

his mercies never come to an end;

They are new every morning; •

great is your faithfulness.

‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul, •

‘therefore I will hope in him.’

The Lord is good to those who wait for him, •

to the soul that seeks him.

It is good that we should wait quietly•

for the salvation of the Lord.

For the Lord will not reject for ever; •

though he causes grief, he will have compassion,

According to the abundance of his steadfast love; •

for he does not willingly afflict or grieve anyone.

Lamentations 1.12, 16a,b; 3.19, 21-26, 31-33

Reading and praying those verses everyday has been great preparation my heart and mind.  As each day came it was tolerable and actually a lot of days were for the most part good - but no matter what they were all filled with grace.  Grace of a handwritten note of love, emailed prayers and encouragement from friends, pulling out a freezer meal made by friend for a rainy day, texting my mom back and forth with notes of prayer requests, watching my daughter snuggle close to her dad, getting Starbucks dropped off just because... the list goes on and on.  

So as I thought about these verses and these moments of grace - I knew without a shadow of a doubt that God's mercies are new every morning and that He had been faithful to me everyday.  I also knew that it was safe for me to rest in His steadfast love.  But yet there were many moments when I thought about the "possibilities of the future" that hopelessness would begin to settle into my heart and then it dawned on me:

When I reflected on the past and I lived in the present I could see the grace of God and just as He promised His grace was sufficient in my weakness.  However, when I looked to the future it was bleak and it appeared too hard to walk through.  The missing component of all my future fears was that God was still going to be present, able and loving no matter what happens.  As I venture forward, I have heard the whisper of God that He is a safe place for me to put my hope in and He will be faithful to my family every step of the way.  So I am leaving tomorrow in His hands and resting in the grace that He has provided for today.

In Christ,

A Story to Embody: Sunday, July 29

Sorry I missed last Sunday; I was away with my love celebrating 11 years of marriage.  After all that we have been through, it was a truly sweet and precious time.  Marriage is truly meant to be a wonderful, life-giving gift.  I am in awe of our great God and His blessing and design and once again overwhelmed with the freedom and the joy of doing it with God and my husband.  Below is a video my husband made for us last year. 

Link: http://youtu.be/GoTwUiBYziw (Also if you are looking for a little Christmas in July or laughter be sure to check out my mother-in-law aka "Jingle Jane" afterwards).

Once again, I am getting the readings for this summer from Holy Trinity's website.  They are going through the book of Ephesians and it has been wonderful.  The main theme thus far has been GRACE  and if you know me at all I love grace.  My understanding of grace has truly strengthened and deepened this summer.  If you are interested, I would truly encourage you to listen to the sermons that go along with the weekly readings.

So that's enough from me, but as always I pray that you would be strengthened and deepened in your understanding of God's great love for you.  The Trinity (God the Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit) are ever-present and real, whether you are in a great place, or in a dark place.  May you ever-increase in your ability to walk in the reality of their love.

Galatians 3:7-9

So you should know that the true children of Abraham are those who have faith.8 The Scriptures, telling what would happen in the future, said that God would make the non-Jewish people right through their faith. This Good News was told to Abraham beforehand, as the Scripture says: "All nations will be blessed through you."9 So all who believe as Abraham believed are blessed just as Abraham was.

Psalm 145:10-18

Lord, everything you have made will praise you;

those who belong to you will bless you.

11 They will tell about the glory of your kingdom

and will speak about your power.

12 Then everyone will know the mighty things you do

and the glory and majesty of your kingdom.

13 Your kingdom will go on and on,

and you will rule forever.

The Lord will keep all his promises;

he is loyal to all he has made.

14 The Lord helps those who have been defeated

and takes care of those who are in trouble.

15 All living things look to you for food,

and you give it to them at the right time.

16 You open your hand,

and you satisfy all living things.

17 Everything the Lord does is right.

He is loyal to all he has made.

18 The Lord is close to everyone who prays to him,

to all who truly pray to him.

Ephesians 2:11-22

You were not born Jewish. You are the people the Jews call "uncircumcised." Those who call you "uncircumcised" call themselves "circumcised." (Their circumcision is only something they themselves do on their bodies.) 12 Remember that in the past you were without Christ. You were not citizens of Israel, and you had no part in the agreements with the promise that God made to his people. You had no hope, and you did not know God.13 But now in Christ Jesus, you who were far away from God are brought near through the blood of Christ's death.14 Christ himself is our peace. He made both Jewish people and those who are not Jews one people. They were separated as if there were a wall between them, but Christ broke down that wall of hate by giving his own body.15 The Jewish law had many commands and rules, but Christ ended that law. His purpose was to make the two groups of people become one new people in him and in this way make peace.16 It was also Christ's purpose to end the hatred between the two groups, to make them into one body, and to bring them back to God. Christ did all this with his death on the cross.17 Christ came and preached peace to you who were far away from God, and to those who were near to God.18 Yes, it is through Christ we all have the right to come to the Father in one Spirit.

19 Now you who are not Jewish are not foreigners or strangers any longer, but are citizens together with God's holy people. You belong to God's family.20 You are like a building that was built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets. Christ Jesus himself is the most important stone in that building,21 and that whole building is joined together in Christ. He makes it grow and become a holy temple in the Lord.22 And in Christ you, too, are being built together with the Jews into a place where God lives through the Spirit.

Luke 4:16-21

Jesus traveled to Nazareth, where he had grown up. On the Sabbath day he went to the synagogue, as he always did, and stood up to read. 17 The book of Isaiah the prophet was given to him. He opened the book and found the place where this is written:

18 "The Lord has put his Spirit in me,
because he appointed me to tell the Good News to the poor.
He has sent me to tell the captives they are free
and to tell the blind that they can see again. — Isaiah 61:1
God sent me to free those who have been treated unfairly — Isaiah 58:6
19 and to announce the time when the Lord will show his kindness." — Isaiah 61:2

20 Jesus closed the book, gave it back to the assistant, and sat down. Everyone in the synagogue was watching Jesus closely. 21 He began to say to them, "While you heard these words just now, they were coming true!"

In Christ,

Symposium of Psalm 103

This morning, my daily prayer time included Psalm 103.  This is a Psalm near and dear to my heart and as a result I've written on it several times.  I went back through my previous writings on it and I decided to combine them together for today's post.

As you read, you will notice that this Psalm starts out with bless the Lord, O my soul.  In the beginning, it appears that the Psalmist is going through a hard time, a moment of confusion and despair and therefore he is telling his soul to praise the Lord and not forget all His benefits. He then goes on to list many of the benefits of the Lord.  You will see his mood change and accelerate so that by the end the Psalmist is excitedly telling everyone to praise God, from the heavenly hosts, to the angels, to his very own soul. His mood changes from a place of discouragement to the place of declaring, believing and understanding what is true: THAT HIS LOVE IS GREAT, so GREAT we can't help but praise the Lord, O my soul.

Psalm 103 (AMP)

1BLESS (AFFECTIONATELY, gratefully praise) the Lord, O my soul; and all that is [deepest] within me, bless His holy name!

All that is "deepest" within me: In the past, there have been  places, thoughts and ideas in my heart that I've wanted to hide from the Lord. This Psalm has encouraged me to "bless" Him from every place. During my quiet prayers I'm learning to praise Him with all areas.

2Bless (affectionately, gratefully praise) the Lord, O my soul, and forget not [one of] all His benefits--

3Who forgives [every one of] all your iniquities, Who heals [each one of] all your diseases,


4Who redeems your life from the pit and corruption,

Who beautifies, dignifies, and crowns you with loving-kindness and tender mercy;

I once wrote a post called Spiritual Wardrobe, which lists some of the clothes God offers to dress us with. I didn't include this one. I absolutely love the imagery in it - beautifies, dignifies and crowns - to have His loving-kindness and tender mercy on top of your head flowing down!!!

Life in the dumps by Wigstruck

Day 137 by Velo Steve

 5Who satisfies your mouth [your necessity and desire at your personal age and situation] with good so that your youth, renewed, is like the eagle's [strong, overcoming, soaring]!

Who redeems your life from the pit... so that your youth, is renewed, like an eagle: I was driving past a dump the other day. It was a windy day and above the dump were hundreds of seagulls "soaring" around the dump. I began thinking in my mind about the differences between a seagull and eagle and I began to wonder how we as Christians actually tend to live.

Seagulls are scavengers. They like to live above the trash and look at it all the time. They don't want to miss out on any of the junk. Like eagles they can "soar" on the wind but they choose to stay close to the earth and all the trash.

Eagles on the other hand build their nests high on the cliffs. When they soar on the wind they soar high above the earth. They have been given keen eyesight and when they need to eat they see the tiny item that they need to attack and they can dive down, grab and attack it with the strength of their legs.

I think God is very intentional when He chooses analogies for our lives. He chose an eagle on purpose and I think it is important for us to compare our lives to see if we are operating in the fullness of what He purchased for us.

Do you act like a seagull or an eagle? Both birds soar on the wind (the wind in the Bible is often compared to the Holy Spirit). But where do you let the Holy Spirit take you? Do you only allow Him to raise you high enough to see your trash and the trash of those around it? Or are you like an eagle? Do you allow the Holy Spirit to take you to the heights, where the things of this world become strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace (line from "Fix Your Eyes on Jesus")? Do you soar in the glory of the Holy Spirit and in the strength that He has placed in you? There are times when we do become aware of the things of this earth, our prey and we return to the earth with great precision and insight because He has pointed out something for us to attack and take. We attack with strength; it dies and then we return to the heights.

6The Lord executes righteousness and justice [not for me only, but] for all who are oppressed.

I'd encourage you to pause here and reflect on that one powerful statement.  This is the heart of the Father - this is what He is doing.

7He made known His ways [of righteousness and justice] to Moses, His acts to the children of Israel.

8The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and plenteous in mercy and loving-kindness.

9He will not always chide or be contending, neither will He keep His anger forever or hold a grudge.

If you ask the average person walking along the street what is the God of Christianity like, do you think their answer would include: merciful, gracious, slow to anger, PLENTEOUS in mercy and loving-kindness?  If not why?

10He has not dealt with us after our sins nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.

11For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great are His mercy and loving-kindness toward those who reverently and worshipfully fear Him.

12As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.

Did you know scientists today have not found the ends of the universe yet?  So guess how far He's removed your sins... Do you live your life in light of that knowledge?

13As a father loves and pities his children, so the Lord loves and pities those who fear Him [with reverence, worship, and awe].

14For He knows our frame, He [earnestly] remembers and imprints [on His heart] that we are dust.

I again love the imagery in these verses: as a Father loves His children so the Lord loves us... We are imprinted on His heart.  What better or safer place is there to be than that?

15As for man, his days are as grass; as a flower of the field, so he flourishes.

16For the wind passes over it and it is gone, and its place shall know it no more.

17But the mercy and loving-kindness of the Lord are from everlasting to everlasting upon those who reverently and worshipfully fear Him, and His righteousness is to children's children--

As many of us know all to well, this life we live is so brief, but what a beautiful and precious reminder of the weight of who God is for all eternity. For me personally, it is a precious reminder that His love will never fade away and that He has promised to carry the message and benefit of His love to my children and my grandchildren.  The contrast between our frailty and His strength is astounding, so where should we rest in our momentary troubles of our life or in the everlasting mercy and loving-kindness of our Lord?

18To such as keep His covenant [hearing, receiving, loving, and obeying it] and to those who [earnestly] remember His commandments to do them [imprinting them on their hearts].

We've been invited to imprint Him on our hearts, just like He's imprinted us.

19The Lord has established His throne in the heavens, and His kingdom rules over all.

20Bless (affectionately, gratefully praise) the Lord, you His angels, you mighty ones who do His commandments, hearkening to the voice of His word.

21Bless (affectionately, gratefully praise) the Lord, all you His hosts, you His ministers who do His pleasure.

I love this - you who do His pleasure. As children of God, we have the opportunity to carry on the message contained in the Psalm of His love, mercy and grace to those around us!

22Bless the Lord, all His works in all places of His dominion; bless (affectionately, gratefully praise) the Lord, O my soul!

Oh! I just love this Psalm. My thoughts only scratch the surface of this Psalm - I'd encourage you to consider meditating on it for a season. your soul will be blessed.  By the time I'm done reading it, I always want to start this Psalm over again because it wraps up the immensity of our salvation into one prayer!

In Christ,

5 more days for a chance to win a $25 Target gift card!  

A New Day is Here

 

Isaiah 9:1-8 has been a Scripture that I have been returning to frequently this year.  In the OT, it is titled "A New Day is Coming" but as you read through it, you realize that this prophecy of Isaiah has been fulfilled and that a "New Day is Here" today.  Reading these verses has challenged and encouraged me to recognize what God has offered us now and to begin to live in it on a daily basis.  Here are the verses in the NCV:

But suddenly there will be no more gloom for the land that suffered. In the past God made the lands of Zebulun and Naphtali hang their heads in shame, but in the future those lands will be made great. They will stretch from the road along the Mediterranean Sea to the land beyond the Jordan River and north to Galilee, the land of people who are not Israelites.

2 Before those people lived in darkness,

but now they have seen a great light.

They lived in a dark land,

but a light has shined on them.

3 God, you have caused the nation to grow

and made the people happy.

And they have shown their happiness to you,

like the joy during harvest time,

like the joy of people

taking what they have won in war.

4 Like the time you defeated Midian,

you have taken away their heavy load

and the heavy pole from their backs

and the rod the enemy used to punish them.

5 Every boot that marched in battle

and every uniform stained with blood

has been thrown into the fire.

As I read through verses 1-5 the concept of contrast stands out.  There is a definite difference between the way things were and the way things are now:

• Before there was gloom, suffering and shame now there is GREATNESS
• Darkness but now there is GREAT LIGHT
• War and heaviness now there is HAPPINESS, VICTORY and JOY

Scripture repeats over and over again that there is and should be a distinct contrast between the darkness that was and His great light!  It began in Genesis 1:1, where God spoke to the chaos that hung over the world and said, "Let there be light."  You can imagine what a huge contrast there was between those two moments.  The same God who said, "Let there be light" in the very beginning now declares it over us, who have new life in Jesus:

Declare the praises of Him who

has called you out of darkness into His wonderful light . 

 Once you were not a people,

but now you are the people of God;

once you had not received mercy,

but now you have received mercy.

(I Peter 2:9-10).

We are His people and we are benefactors of His great mercy!

Isaiah 9:6-7

6 A child has been born to us;

God has given a son to us.

He will be responsible for leading the people.

His name will be

Wonderful Counselor,

 Powerful God,

Father Who Lives Forever,

Prince of Peace.

7 Power and peace will be in his kingdom

and will continue to grow forever.

He will rule as king on David's throne

and over David's kingdom.

He will make it strong

by ruling with justice and goodness

from now on and forever.

The Lord All-Powerful will do this

because of his strong love for his people.

I just love these verses.  It starts out saying that, "He will be responsible for leading His people."  This revelation has been very freeing for me.  I've spent much of my Christianity, trying to get God to do things "for me and for others."  There was a sense that I had to beg Him in order to get Him to move on my behalf.  But looking at verse 6 along with what was said in 1 Peter 2:10 it has become clear to me that God is leading me - not the other way around.  We have already received His mercy, His grace and His love and we have the opportunity to follow His leadership in what He is doing.

What makes this so much easier to do is to look at who He promises to be for us: Wonderful Counselor, Almighty God, Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace!  I will admit that there are situations and times when fear begins to seep in again.  At those moments, I've been taking the time to stop, breathe and remember these truths.  "You God, have promised to be my Wonderful Counselor, I am listening for your counsel right now!  You are the Prince of Peace I receive that peace right now!"  These truths have released me from the "need to always be in control" of how situations turn out and instead turn to trusting in Him to lead me and guide me.

"Power and peace will be His kingdom and His kingdom is ever expanding. He rules it with justice and goodness."  These words have helped calm me and give me insight into how to recognize His hand.  His kingdom is always growing, am I making room for it to expand in my own life? 

What will the results and effects of His kingdom look like? 

• power 
• peace 
• justice 
• goodness. 

James 3:17 gives us more things that we can look for:

• purity
• peace
• gentleness 
• easy to please

Knowing the fruit of God's operation will help us to recognize His leading and become more confident in following His voice.

The foundation to help us move in all this is - love (vs 7).  Not just any love either, His strong love!  These are the places in which we can and should rest.  We are living in the times declared by Isaiah.  Let us walk confidently and joyful in the light of His love, mercy and grace following Him in His wonderful counsel to expand His kingdom.

In Christ,

Photo courtesty of Melanie Guest Photography

Sin's power is broken

In my last post, I shared on the Relentless nature of God.  I also discussed the power of TRUTH.  The past several years I've been in a process of removing lies and misunderstandings that I've accumulated over the years.  As time goes by, I've grown to have a greater understanding of the beauty of the the Gospel and the freedom that Christ offers us by His grace.

Remember the 4 characteristics of God discussed in Isaiah 9: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace?  The Lord really captured me in the past 2 years with the concept that He is not only my Everlasting Father, but is my loving Heavenly Father.  Now that I am secure in that I have been re-entering the Bible with fresh, free eyes and I have been astounded by how much "I see" that I've never seen or understood before.  Today I want to share on the concept of sin.

Sin is a popular word in Christian circles today.  It has been a huge focal point of most of my Christian experience.  I sinned again, what can I do differently, Lord will you forgive me, have you forgiven me?  When will I go too far for your grace?

I've read the book of Romans many times before, and in the past it has only seemed to reconfirm these fears of insecurity.  The Lord has been taking me through the book again, and I've realized that through my dissection of each verse, I have missed the story and the point of what Paul is trying to say. 

In the book of Romans, Paul is building a case to the Jewish people of why faith ALONE in Jesus Christ is where we should put our hope and trust.  However, if you stop him in the middle of his building a case, you end up missing the whole point of what he is trying to say.  For instance, try reading Romans 1 by itself.  Then, try reading Romans 2 by itself.  Then return and read Romans 1,2 and 3 all together and I guarantee you will leave with a whole different understanding.

Or take for instance, Romans 3:23 which we all know:  "All have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God."  But can you quote Romans 3:24 (I'd really like to know if you can)?  See verse 23 doesn't end with a period, it has a comma and reads on to say:

and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

Why do we choose to memorize only 3:23 and not continue on to the Good News of verse 24?  Why do we have an obsession with sin instead of with grace?

Why, you say, because if we have an obsession with grace we will continue to sin. (Hmm, sounds somewhat familiar to Romans 6:1).  However, we do not need to bypass truth, or create a new truth to overcome sin.  Instead, shouldn't we try believing in and doing it God's way? 

Romans 6:10-12 (AMP)

 10For by the death He died, He died to sin [ending His relation to it]

once for all; and the life that He lives, He is living to God [in unbroken fellowship with Him].

11Even so consider yourselves also dead to sin

 and your relation to it broken,

but alive to God [living in unbroken fellowship with Him] in Christ Jesus.

Read it again.  Did you hear that?  Is that what you've been taught?  Do you consider yourself dead to sin?  Your relationship broken with it?  Is the primary identity you walk with is that you are alive in God, in UNBROKEN fellowship with Him?  That there is the point and the key!  Sin is no longer your master - you are dead to it - Christ is your master.  Do we still mess up sometimes? Yes, but that doesn't change the truth.  You are now dead to sin.  It does not come alive again because you mess up.

12Let not sin therefore rule as king in your mortal (short-lived, perishable) bodies, to make you yield to its cravings and be subject to its lusts and evil passions.

14 For sin shall not [any longer] exert dominion over you, since now you are not under Law [as slaves], but under grace [as subjects of God's favor and mercy].

According to the verses above, you have a choice to make about how sin operates in your mortal bodies.  You can choose to let it rule and reign, or you can realize that it has no dominion over you and therefore you can choose to live and walk according to grace.  Personally, I have found no better way to live, than to live in these truths.  If you want to live under the law, then only read Romans 2 & 7 because those descriptions will be the defining factors of your life.  You will constantly feel like you are failing, never measuring up and that God is always angry with you.  However, if you want to live under grace then read all of Romans and believe and apply Romans 3, 6 and 8.  This is the lifestyle that Christ purchased for you, that you would be dead to sin, that it would no longer be your master.  The truth is that you live in unbroken fellowship with your Heavenly Father and because of that you get to walk according to the Spirit and not the law.  So here is where people often trip up on grace- they think that if you live by grace you will not be holy.  However, God's design is for you to walk according to the Spirit (Romans 8).  If you choose to walk by the Spirit, you will end up fulfilling the law without even trying.  But if you try to FIRST live your life by the law and carry that burden on your shoulders you will constantly fail.  Why?

The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase (Romans 5:20). 

The point of the law is to show that you are a sinner.  So if you try to live your faith out by walking by the law instead of by the Spirit you will constantly be aware of the fact that you still sin and fail.

So stop having your constant fixation be upon sin, are you sinning, have you sinned, etc.  Sin is no longer your master.  You have died to it.  Instead, fix your eyes on Jesus Christ with whom you have unbroken fellowship!  Guess what?  By walking in fellowship with God through this life you will be walking in the true life that belongs to you.


In Christ,
 

My Hokey Pokey of Grace

My aunt sent me a video the other day about Brennan Manning's newest book:  All is Grace


You'll have to watch the video of it to understand the emotion behind the book...  Anyhow, as I watched the video I was reminded of how Brennan Manning was one of the first people who opened my life to the idea of grace as a lifestyle.  The next morning, I was singing "The Hokey Pokey" in the kitchen, with my kids of course, and it reminded me of how my journey with grace has been:

 "I put my right hand in, I pull my right hand out, I put my right hand in and I shake it all about."

You see I have been dancing with the story of grace for the last 13 years.  The names that have been influential in my story of grace have been Brennan Manning, Philip Yancy, Shane Holden, Wayne Jacobsen, John Eldredge, my father-in-law Keith, Erwin Mcmanus etc.  You see, as I have danced through this journey, I've put myself in and I've pulled myself out.  When I have put one body part in, I've danced and enjoyed it, but I soon pulled out.  The Father, however, didn't stop pursuing me with this angle of love. 

What kept pulling me out?  One, it was too good to be true.  Two, I've been reading my Bible since I was 8 years old and there were too many "scary" verses.  Also, I often heard from pulpits that if I got too comfortable in grace, I would start down the slippery hill to hell.  But as I've continued to immerse myself in the Word along with these conversations with others, my inhibitions kept unraveling.  I think the piece that kept holding me back is that I still thought I had an important role to play to keep this thing together.

However, a couple weeks ago I listened to the sermon Understanding the New Covenant by Neil Rhodes and that put the last piece into place for me.  See through this sermon he showed how the New Covenant that we live under was established between The Father and The Son (Isaiah 42:6).  We are just beneficiaries of the New Covenant!  It's taken a couple of weeks to settle into my spirit, but wow, it has been so freeing.  For someone who has spent the majority of her life as a performance-based lover to find out WHY I didn't need to perform (in fact never needed to perform) was so freeing.  So when I was singing "The Hokey Pokey" and I put my whole self in I realized that I don't need to take myself out anymore.

I am thankful to my Heavenly Father for dancing with me all along the way and knowing that there would be a day when I got it!  I look forward to the next song, because I am now all-in on grace.

In Christ,

Grace IS Dangerous!

In this last year, I've come to a greater understanding and acceptance that I truly am a child of God (thanks to resources such as Birthright and discussions with my father-in-law).  Sometimes, when a light bulb turns on you are able to see things so much clearer.  It has been exciting to re-enter the living Word of God being secure in my identity as a child of God.  I've been trying to read the Gospel of John, but I can barely stand it because it is so overwhelmingly beautiful.  I can now see why this book is usually recommended for new believers to start with when they begin reading the Bible.

John 1:1-18 are such beautiful verses and as I glanced at them to write this post, I was again overwhelmed by all the angles I could discuss.  However, I am going to grab only one small nugget from there but it is oh, so worth sitting in and reflecting upon that whole passage.

John 1

vs 14

The Word became a human and lived

among us.  We saw His glory-the glory that

belongs to the only Son of the Father-

and He was full of grace and truth.

vs 16

Because He was full of grace and truth,

from Him we all received

one gift after another.

vs 17

The law was given through Moses,

but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ!

As I read this, the two words that jumped out at me continually were the words GRACE and TRUTH.  When Jesus walked on this earth, the two things that He was full of were GRACE and TRUTH.  That is how He revealed Himself to us and we have the privilege of living in that beauty.  It is cleary different then living according to the Old Covenant.*
The one thing the American body of Christ seems well-versed in is the law; how to live a moral life, what it looks like and doesn't look like.  However, according to John, the two things that defined the life of Jesus as he walked upon this earth, grace and truth, are the two things that seem so far from our grip and understanding.  Throughout my journey in Christianity, I have heard so many Christians shy away from grace.  I've even had a reader stop reading my blog because of my emphasis on grace.  "If you just teach grace," they say, "it's dangerous."  They are absolutely right!  Jesus is dangerous, and grace is radical. It is only by grace that we can freely walk out our faith.  The problem is that instead of embracing the dangerous beauty of grace, we try to tame it and have people focus on the law and the do's and don'ts of the law.

If grace is scary to you, I would encourage you to go on a journey to discover and understand it.  Don't try to tame it, but learn to walk in it.  If you do, you will be walking in the reality of who Jesus Christ is.

_______________________________________

(So that was all a tangent!)  Over the last 3 months, I've had 4 people ask me how to hear the voice of God.  Wow, that is a tough question, when I had to put words around it.  If you are a Christian, you already do hear the voice of God, but you may not be recognizing it as such.  Understanding, who Jesus is, will help you recognize His voice. 

Perhaps, it is a female thing, but I have lots of "voices" influencing my day, everyday. Am I measuring up to what so and so thinks or asked of me..., if I do such and such is that okay? Frankly, it is tiring to listen and try to measure up to so many voices!  After reading these verses in John 1, I have been challenged to listen ONLY to the voice of Jesus.  What a concept!  How do I recognize it?  It is the One and only voice full of Grace and Truth; and in that voice and that voice alone do I find rest. (Read John 10:1-14 for verses supporting the concept that our Good Shepherd does talk to us and that we need to recognize and follow only His voice).

In Christ,



P.S. Are you following my blog on Facebook yet?  If not, you can find me under pages: For His Glory Alone.  I currently have a link there for a great sermon about the *New Covenant.  Check it out!

The Butterfly Circus

If you have 20 minutes I highly recommend you taking the time to watch this short film.  It is a beautifully written, directed and acted film.  This short story poignantly demonstrates how God can turn ashes to beauty.



If you receive this through google reader or e-mail you will have to click through to my blog to view it.

Journey to Understand Grace Part 5: The Beauty of His Grace

Here has been the journey thus far:
1. Jesus hates sin.
2.Christians still sin.
3.God is Holy and before the cross sin caused a separation between us and God.
4. Because of point 2 we often try to resolve what we see as a problem caused by the truths of 1 &3 by living according to our own righteousness.  The result is frustration and condemnation.

Which brings us to today.  The beauty of God's grace!! So remember the sermon that sparked this journey?  The definition of grace discussed in that sermon (Applied Grace by Sam Dharam on 11/1//09) was this:  the enabling power of God.  

Think of that in light of the journey we have been on.  We know that sin is dangerous and deadly.  We know that by our own strength and power we cannot overcome sin.  We know that God is a Holy God.  Often times people conclude that God's grace is the answer.  However, their definition of that grace is simply a "get out of jail free" card, so whenever you do something wrong you don't have to feel bad about it that in  fact you can just keep doing it over and over again.  This understanding of grace just covers the problem of sin but it doesn't provide a solution to sin.  I strongly believe that grace is bigger than that and rather than erasing the conflict between God's Holiness and His hatred of sin, it allows the beauty of all of His character to light and the result is freedom for His children. Grace provides us access to the throne room of God, where God sits in Holiness and where Jesus Christ sits at the right hand of the Father.  Jesus has defeated the curse of the law of sin and death.  He has set you free and His grace ENABLES you by the power of God to be FREE.  It is a beautiful thing.

We talked last time of how we still try to walk according to our righteousness.  If we walk out our faith by trying to walk on a tightrope of perfection, we end up failing (daily) and being miserable!  However if you pay attention to the verses I've shared and will continue to share with you, you will see that because of God's grace we don't do it according to OUR righteousness, rather we are invited to live out our lives THROUGH Him.

Galatians 2:20

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.

The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!"

Again, if we could succeed through our own righteousness then Jesus didn't need to die.  Don't set aside God's grace, it is the key to living in His righteousness.

Romans 5:20

But where sin increased, grace increased all the more,

so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Because of God's grace we get to live through the righteousness of Jesus Christ.  If you've been following my blog for a while you know that I am a strong advocate of putting your armor on daily.  Why?  One reason is because it is a great reminder of the truth of God's word, including the part: putting on the breastplate of righteousness.  Whose righteousness?  Not ours, His. 

Last time we started looking at Romans 8.  Here are some more beautiful verses that we all know but I think in this journey of grace they shine even brighter:

 8:9,10, 13-17

You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit,
if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ,
he does not belong to Christ.

But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin,
yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness.
For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die;

but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live,

because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear,
 but you received the Spirit of sonship.

And by him we cry, "Abba, Father."

The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children.

Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ,

if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

8:26, 27

...the Spirit helps us in our weakness.

We do not know what we ought to pray for,

but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.

And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit,

because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.

8:31-39

What, then, shall we say in response to this?

If God is for us, who can be against us?

He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—

how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?

Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen?
It is God who justifies.

Who is he that condemns?

Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—

is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?
Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,

neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation,

will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Hebrews 4:15-16

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses,

but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin.

Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence,

so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

I hope you will take time to read all those Scriptures and meditate on them.  Do you see the beauty of His grace?  Sin was a barrier and before the cross it kept us from being able to even survive in the presence of God.  However, now because of the death of Jesus Christ, sin no longer keeps us from the presence of God.  Instead, we have full access to the THRONE of GRACE and we can approach with confidence.  Better yet, at His throne we are given His righteousness through His grace, which is God's enabling power to OVERCOME sin.  He still is a Holy God and when we come into His presence, He is still an all consuming fire, now however that fire consumes only sin and it no longer consumes us.  It is by being in His presence and living through the grace of Jesus Christ that we walk in freedom.  We don't need to be slaves to sin anymore.  We don't have to live out of our own righteousness.  We can live through Him.  And did you see in Romans 8, you have incredible support.  You have the Holy Spirit interceding to God on our behalf and you have Jesus Christ interceding.  The beauty of grace is that because of the cross sin is no longer an issue for God.  He has cast our sin as far as the east is from the west.  Sin no longer has the power to prevent us from access to God.  Because of Jesus we have full confidence that God is for us. 

Hebrews 12:18-28

You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire;

to darkness, gloom and storm; to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words

that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them,

because they could not bear what was commanded: "If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned."  The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, "I am trembling with fear."

But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God.

You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly,

to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven.

You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect,

to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape

when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we,

if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven? At that time his voice shook the earth,

but now he has promised, "Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens."

The words "once more" indicate the removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things

—so that what cannot be shaken may remain.

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our "God is a consuming fire."

This is how I've been applying this knowledge of grace. 
1.  I still put on my armor daily.  It reminds me that I am saved by grace and I can only walk in this life through His righteousness. 
2.  When I sin, which I do, I bring my heart in confident expectation to the throne of grace.  I no longer cower away from God in shame and guilt, or try to fix  my darkness by being "a better person."  Rather, I say, "Lord, here is my heart, here is my sin.  Please show me how to overcome this by your grace."  I realize that He wants to set me free and that any exposure He brings to my sin is an invitation from the Father to be free.  What a beautiful place to be, in the presence of God, the all consuming fire, who is able to consume the remains of our sin and set us free.

So thank you for reading my journey to understand grace.  As I said, it is a journey and by no means am I perfect at it.  But I'm living by God's grace, His enabling power, and I'm walking with much more confidence knowing that I have a loving Father, Son and Holy Spirit cheering me on and inviting me to rest in their arms when I fail.


Living Through Christ,